Tag: Gwen Graham

By Jim Bleyer You must win before you can govern. Easier said than done, especially it seems for progressives. Andrew Gillum, who exploded onto the national political scene with a meteoric victory in the 2018 Florida Democratic gubernatorial primary, was the immediate favorite to win it all on Nov. 6. …

By Jim Bleyer When State Rep. Janet Cruz jumped into a Florida Senate race against incumbent Republican Dana Young, she told Tampa voters she was motivated to run because of the February school shootings in Parkland. The term-limited House minority leader had previously filed to run for a seat …

By Jim Bleyer The first order of business for Ron DeSantis and Andrew Gillum: mending fences. With Jeanette Nuñez and Chris King, the gubernatorial hopefuls chose solid, if not bold, imaginative picks for their running mates last week. But they face monumental missionary work after bitter, divisive primaries. Public …

By Jim Bleyer The Tampa Bay Times once meant something in Hillsborough County despite its sparring with a credible rival in the Tampa Tribune. But that era ended years ago. Someone forgot to pass that info on to Times publisher Paul Tash …

By Jim Bleyer No one ever confused Peter Schorsch with Heywood Campbell Broun, Ernie Pyle, Nellie Bly, or even the rawest cub reporter. Schorsch is the St. Petersburg-based owner of Florida Politics, the widely acknowledged pay-for-play echo chamber for Florida politicians, political operatives, and lobbyists that lamely attempts to …

By Jim Bleyer The Tampa Bay Times won’t let go of Kevin King. Apparently still stung by backing the ill-fated Rick Baker in last year’s City of St. Petersburg mayoral race, the Times still publishes unproven, insane sexual harassment accusations against Mayor Kriseman’s chief of staff. Never mind that …

By Jim Bleyer Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn is actively seeking the second spot on the Democratic gubernatorial ticket, Tampa Bay Beat has learned, but such a candidacy would bring more baggage than benefit. Buckhorn has reached out to both the camps of Phillip Levine and Gwen Graham in his …

By Jim Bleyer The Florida Democratic Party is going all in on its marginalization of its progressive wing, risking its only statewide officeholder U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, any chance of recapturing the governorship, and pickup opportunities in the Florida Legislature. Ramifications …

By Jim Bleyer The economically dying Tampa Bay Times, with former Sen. Bob Graham calling the shots on the board of the parent Poynter Foundation, continues to repeat unsubstantiated charges against a Political Action Committee (PAC) favoring gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum. This time the Times repeats a …

By Beth Eriksen Shoup, Contributor The Democratic Party of Florida, having already seen progressive support erode in several of the state’s most populous counties, continues to alienate a key voting bloc by accepting contributions from the predatory lending industry. Those companies, led by Tampa-based Amscot Financial, preys on low-income …